Skip to main content
Module 7 of 12 · Marketing and automation · Lesson 4 of 13

Create an outreach sequence

Write a first email and follow-ups with waits between them, enroll lists or segments, and let replies stop it.

6 minAdvancedFor: Agency owner or managerLast checked
Video tutorial coming soon

The written steps below are complete. The Video script tab shows exactly what the video will cover.

A sequence sends a first email and then follow-ups a few days apart to people who have not replied. It is for one-to-one outreach to prospects, and it requires your own SMTP account or email service key.

By the end you can

  • Write a sequence of up to 10 steps
  • Enroll contacts from lists or segments
  • Activate, pause and understand when it stops

Screens used

Before you start

  • Your own SMTP account or email service connected for sending.

Steps

  1. 1

    Open Sequences

    On: /email/sequences

    Open the Marketing hub and choose the Sequences tab in Email.

    You should see: A page titled "Outreach sequences".

  2. 2

    Create a sequence

    On: /email/sequences

    Type a name in New sequence name and press Enter.

    You should see: The sequence editor opens with a first step.

  3. 3

    Write the first email

    On: Sequence editor

    Fill in the Subject, the Body (HTML) and the Plain text version. The first step sends immediately. The first-name placeholder shown in the starter text greets each person by name.

    You should see: Step 1 has a subject and both bodies.

  4. 4

    Add follow-ups

    On: Sequence editor

    Press Add follow-up step. Set Wait (days) before it sends, from 0 to 120, and write a shorter email that adds something new. A sequence can have up to 10 steps.

    You should see: Two or three steps with waits between them.

  5. 5

    Save and enroll

    On: Sequence editor

    Press Save. Under Enroll contacts tick the Lists or Segments to contact and press Enroll & start.

    You should see: "Saved." and the contacts are enrolled.

  6. 6

    Activate

    On: Sequence editor

    Press Activate. Use Pause to stop sending without losing anyone's place.

    You should see: The first emails go out. A reply from a contact stops their sequence automatically.

Tips

  • Cold outreach is regulated in many countries. Check the rules for where your recipients are before you send.
  • Send small numbers a day. Sudden volume from a new address looks like spam.
  • Every step needs a subject, an HTML body and a plain-text body, or it will not save.

Troubleshooting

"Couldn't save: the sequence needs a name, and every step a subject, an HTML body and a plain-text body (wait 0–120 days, max 10 steps)."
Open each step and fill in all three parts. Check that no wait is longer than 120 days and that there are at most 10 steps.
Finished this lesson?

Mark it complete to keep your place in the course.